Bottle carrier



Jime 10, 1952 sc m 2,599,787

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed NOV. 20, 1948 Patented June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE norms CARRIER;

Thur Schmidt, oh-ieaga u Application November 29, 1948, Serial- Nos. 61,269

2 Claims. (01. 224 4s In introduction to this disclosure: it may be mentioned that in recent years bottlers of soft drinks and other beverages have sought to promote the sale of their products by marketing them in small, handy carriers adapted to hold only sixor eight bottles,- for example, and to'feature th convenience of these carriers in displays andmerchandising plans; These small carriers in order to clearly demonstrate the manner in 3:

which the present teaching overcomes the shortcomings of earlier structures. In general, it may be said that the prior teachings have contemplated making these carriers in either'of two general types, that is, of metal or of cardboard. It a";

has been found that the metal carriers fail to meet the requirements of the trade partially by reason of the fact that the type offered have been too heavy and bulky, but principally because of the fact that they are-far too expensive-to use.

In this connection, of course, it will b remembered that one of the aimsof bottlers in selling the beverages in a container of this type is to encourage the purchase of severalbottlesofbeverage at a time, yet to avoidthe necessity for requiring a deposit covering the: cost of the case. In short, it is necessaryto'producea carrier that, while rugged enough to stand repeated use, is sufficiently inexpensive that a substantial percentage of the carriers may belost from time to time without seriously affecting the dealers margin of profit. The cardboard containers naturally reduce the original cost of manufacture, but these havenotshownthemselves to be particularly satisfactory either. This is due to the fact that r they disintegrate quickly, particularly if exposed to dampness and moisture and because they are generally unsanitary and provide a refuge for vermin, especially if. any effort is made to reuse them.

It is the general aimof the present-invention to overcome the disadvantages inherent in previously known types of' containers by the provision of a novel and improved container having a wire frame to support the bottles together'with a paper display panel on which the name of the product and various advertising'matter may be conspicuously set out. By this expedientthe shortcomings of prior carriers of this kind. are largely overcome since it is economically. feasible to provide a new paper panel on the carrier before each use so that it always presents a clean, fresh and crisp appearance addingto'the salability of the product, yet the wireframe is strongdurable,

able to withstand long use and even-to resist.

2. considerable physical abuse. The entire unit is relatively inexpensive and entirely verm-inproof, and is so designed that it will not readily accumulate dust or dirt. Moreover, it may be easily cleaned by immersion-in ahot causticsolution, for example;

. The form of. the invention chosen as best i1 lustrative of the concept. herein is illustrated in the drawings of this specification wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective" view of. abottlecarrier constructedin accordance with these teachings; showing it with: the handle. in. lowered position and without the paper advertising. display panel;

Figure 2 is a perspective View with the handle raised and the display panel applied; and

Figure- 3 is a top plan view of the: carrier of Fig. 1,. illustrating themanner in which it may be conveniently placed in a spac of restricted height, such: asbetween the'shelves of a refrigerator.

The carrier comprises, in general, a Wire frame providedwith a folding handle, with a. display panel in the form of a flexiblev paper or card sheet drawn around the outside of the frame. The opposite endsiof the sheet are joined; so'that it holds-itselfinposition on the frame.

The wire frame itself consists of a bottom formed ofintersecting longitudinal wires [:0 and I l: and-cross wires [2, l3 and I4 each joined to the other and theirpoints of intersection by welding or otherwise. The wires are each bent upwardly at their outer ends to'form' uprights extending; up to a marginal wire! 5 extending. completely around the frame near the base of the bottles. All of the cross wires and longitudinal Wires mayextend on: up from the lower marginal wire [5 to the top marginal wire F6} if desired, although it has been found entirely satisfactory to terminate the upright I! of the center cross wires at the lower marginal wire 15 and extend the othersupwardly toprovide a pair of corner members 18- and I9 at each corner of the carrier.

The topof the carrier frame also consists of a longitudinal center wire 21' and intersecting cross wires 22: and 23 welded or secured to each other attheir point of intersections and having. their outer ends secured tothetopmarginal wire It, so that while both the" lower and upper portions of the frame consist of substantially square sections, these are offset from each'other bothlong-itudinally and laterally,,so that the points-of intersection of the wires of the lower frame be substantially in the center of the openings of the top frame. Thus bottles: inserted through the cpenings' of the top frame come: to reston: the point of intersection between wires at right angles to eachother to give a good support for the base of each bottle. In addition, the vertical wires t8 and l=9- coactwith the marginal wires- 15 and I 6 so each bottle is protected not only at its base but also along-itssides;

The carrier ispreferably provided with a foldins: handle. a In a the form: of? the invention shown this consists of a center bail 24 having curved end portions 25 and downwardly extending legs 26,

each provided with an elongated reverse loop 21 joined to the legs by a link 28. The loops are angularly offset from the plane of the bail, however, in order that they may extend around one of the cross wires of the top frame, as well as around the longitudinal wire 2|. Thus, when the handle is lifted to the erect position shown in Figure 2 the bail 24 will extend sufficiently above the necks of the bottles carried within the carrier to be conveniently grasped, yet when re-- leased it will drop by gravity to a position just below the bottle tops where it is accessible but out of the way. The exact position is determined by the length of the handle loops, since the motion is limited by contact of the link portions 28 with the top wires of the frame. By providing the legs of the handle with ofiset loops of the configuration shown, the loops may encircle both the longitudinal wire 2| and the cross wires 22 bottles in the carrier is distributed throughout the entire frame rather than being imposed on one wire only. This means that relatively light wire may be used for the carrier, yet it will have and 23 in such a manner that the weight of the 1 i ample strength. It is also worthy of note that the provision of the offset loops encircling the intersecting wires on the top of the frame prevents any possibility of the handle being distorted by pulling. the opposite legs of the bail apart.

Carriers according to this invention may be stacked in the position shown in Figure 1 without any interferencedue to the presence of the handles. In use, however, theframe is preferably provided With the'paper display panel 29 wrapped around the frame with the ends slightly overlapped and joined (as by stapling or adhesives). so that the paper holds itself in position on the frame. It is contemplated that advertising copy be printed on this panel to identify the product and carry. any advertising message that the manufacturer may desire.

When the bottles are loaded in the carrier the handle is ordinarily placed in an upright posithe dilemma heretofore encountered by bottles in attempting to provide an acceptable portable carrier, since it has ample strength in the frame for repeated use, yet may be constructed at a very low manufacturing cost. After each use the paper panel may be stripped from the frame and, if desired, the frame may be cleaned by immersion in a hot solution. A new advertising panel is applied when the carriers are refilled and again delivered to the dealers. Thus in each use of the device it will present a clean, fresh and attractive appearance; insharp contrast to present cardboard types of carriers that become dirty, discolored, smudged and generally so unattractive as to detract from the salability of the manufacturer's product.

In addition, to its function as a carrier, it is contemplated that the device here shown will be of utility in storing beverages on the premises of hold refrigerator.

7 that the metal frame is superior to the cardboard types previously proposed since the normally the consumer, since even when filled with bottles it may be placed on edge as'shown in Figure 3 so that half a dozen bottles may be stacked in a comparatively small space, as between the closely spaced lower shelves in an ordinary house- In this use it is also noted high humidity of the refrigerating chamber has been found to soften and weaken cardboard structures so that theybend, distort and in some instances even pull apart after a short exposure to the humid atmosphere.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as'new and'desire-to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A bottle carrier comprising an open wire frame having a top consisting of an upper marginal wire extending around the frame and intel-secting longitudinal and cross wires defining a plurality of rectangular openings for receiving bottles, together with a bottom comprising intersecting longitudinal and cross wires offset with respect to the upper wires to provide an intersection below each opening in the upper frame; a plurality of vertical wires interconnecting the bottom and top of the frame at each side and each end and a lower marginal wire extending around the frame and secured to said vertical wires; together with'a folding handle consisting of a bail having legs spaced apart from each other and provided with elongated loops encircling a wire of the frame, said loops being ofiset from the plane of the bail and encircling a longitudinal wire, and a cross wire at their point of intersection.

V 2. In combination, a bottle carrier comprising an open wire frame having a top comprising an upper marginal wire extending around the frame and intersecting longitudinal and cross wires defining a plurality of rectangular openings for receiving bottles, together with a bottom comprising intersecting longitudinal and cross wires, with both the longitudinal and the cross wires offset with respect to the upper wires to provide a bottle support of the intersecting wires directly below the center of each opening in the upper frame, wires interconnecting the bottom and top of the frame and a folding handle consisting of abail having legs spaced apart from each other and provided with elongated loops encircling a wire of the top frame, said loops being offset from the plane of the bail and encircling a longitudinal wire and a cross wire at their point of intersection.

THUR SCHMIDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 15, 1932 

